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| Sabbath School Programs and Teaching Plans for your Church |
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Formerly Sabbath School Leadership, LEAD is a quarterly magazine to bring more power and polish to your Sabbath School programs and Sabbath School teaching.
 Listen to the Sabbath School Theme Music for this Quarter
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01.23.10: The Fruit-Peace 
Cultural Context
Booked schedules, frazzled nerves, traffic jams, and crammed appointments—life in the twenty-first century is anything but peaceful. Individuals may have rare times of quiet moments. Yet even in these moments, the inner existential lack of peace can be deafening. Internal peace and rest—we know when it’s missing. But what does it mean? How can we have it?
Necessary Background/Further Resources
• The Desire of Ages, chapter 35
• Cries of the Heart, Ravi Zacharias
• Existential—Derived from experience, or the experience of existence
Preparation
Read The Desire of Ages, chapter 35. Look at the parallels between the story of the sea and the story of the demoniacs. Ask yourself, “What do these two passages tell us about the nature of peace?”
Point of Contact
Questions
• Are there ever moments of peace in the human experience?
• Do you think guilt is a universal experience, moments when there is internal peace in the midst of external chaos?
• What is the cause of guilt?
Points of Conversation
Read Mark 4:35-41. Jesus and His disciples were crossing the lake on their way to Gennesaret and were caught up in a storm. The disciples were frantic. Yet their Master was sleeping. They awoke Him, and He uttered those famous words, “Peace, be still.” The storm ceased.
Discussion
• In the midst of the storm, contrast the response of the disciples with that of Jesus.
• Why does God allow His children to go through the storms of life? What does this tell us about the nature of the peace that He offers?
• Have you ever been in a situation where you had inner peace amid chaos?
• Which would you rather have: peace within and chaos all around you or chaos within and peace around you?
• What does Jesus calming the seas tell us about the peace that Christ ultimately offers?
“As Jesus rested by faith in the Father’s care, so we are to rest in the care of our Saviour. If the disciples had trusted in Him, they would have been kept in peace. Their fear in the time of danger revealed their unbelief. In their efforts to save themselves, they forgot Jesus; and it was only when, in despair of self-dependence, they turned to Him that He could give them help” (The Desire of Ages, p. 336).
Read Mark 5:1-20. Immediately after Jesus and the disciples reached shore, they encountered another storm.
Questions
• Compare the serenity of Christ to the state of the demoniacs in terms of sounds, colors, and textures. What does this tell us about the relationship between our spiritual state and peace?
• The Bible tells us that the men were there in their “right minds” after Jesus healed them. They were healed and had peace by the simple utterance of the words of Christ. Are there instances in your life when you’ve found peace from God’s Word?
• Compare in terms of color, sound, etc., the reaction of the healed demoniac to Jesus with that of the owners of the swine. The peace that Christ offers sometimes causes division. Why does the peace that Christ offers sometimes come at a cost?
Parting Thought (Buzz words are bolded.)
The path to peace comes first through a restoration of our relationship with God. Sin in our hearts mars our sense of peace. Forgiveness is what Christ offers freely by His grace, and the result is marvelous peace. Paul says in Romans: “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
The statement by Paul implies that our lack of peace is not from a lack of wealth, education, or even human relationship. Our lack of peace comes from a broken connection with our Creator. We can have that restoration of peace today.
Reach Out
Guilt is something that everyone has experienced. Peace is something that we all long for. Are your friends, acquaintances, family members dealing with guilt? Have they tried to drown their sorrows in search of peace? Share your story with them. How did you find peace in forgiveness that only Christ can give.
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